Payment card with user feedback

ABSTRACT

Aspects described herein may allow for method of detecting when a payment card is in a retail establishment by establishing communication between the payment card and a real-time position tracking system; determining whether one of a plurality of accounts linked to the payment card has been used in one or more prior purchasing transactions in the retail establishment; detecting, movement of the payment card with respect to the individual carrying the payment card while the payment card is in a carrying device carried by the individual; and providing, by the payment card, haptic feedback and visible feedback to the individual carrying the payment card.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The instant application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/862,749, titled “PAYMENT CARD WITH USER FEEDBACK” filed Apr.30, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety.

FIELD OF USE

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to a payment card thatprovides user feedback. More specifically, aspects of the disclosure mayprovide for enhanced systems for detecting when a payment card is in aretail establishment and providing feedback on the card to an individualindicating that prior purchases have been made in that establishmentwith the card.

BACKGROUND

Individuals may carry multiple payment cards, such as credit cards anddebit cards, for example, and oftentimes keep the payment cards in awallet or a purse. Many of the payment cards carried by an individualoffer benefits or rewards for use of the card, and some benefits andrewards may be obtained when a particular payment card is used at aparticular retail establishment, store, merchant or service provider.Retail establishments may also offer incentives to individuals when aparticular payment card is used for a purchasing transaction in thatretail establishment. When an individual carries a large number ofpayment cards, it may be hard to keep track of which card may need to beused in a particular retail establishment in order to obtain anavailable reward or benefit. Tracking which of the individual's paymentcards has been used for prior purchasing transactions in a particularretail establishment can be problematic.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of various aspects describedherein. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intendedto identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope of theclaims. The following summary merely presents some concepts in asimplified form as an introductory prelude to the more detaileddescription provided below.

Aspects discussed herein may provide a computer-implemented method foridentifying when a payment card is in a retail establishment, andproviding an indication to the user that this particular payment cardhas been used previously in the retail establishment, thereby allowingthe user to take advantage of reward and benefit programs.

In accordance with certain aspects, a computer-implemented methodincludes detecting when a payment card is in a retail establishment byestablishing communication between the payment card and a real-timeposition tracking system in a smartphone carried by an individualcarrying the payment card; determining whether one of a plurality ofaccounts linked to the payment card has been used in one or more priorpurchasing transactions in the retail establishment by establishingcommunication between the payment card and a processor containing adatabase of prior purchasing transactions; detecting, by a motiondetecting sensor embedded in the payment card, movement of the paymentcard with respect to the individual carrying the payment card while thepayment card is in a carrying device carried by the individual; andproviding, by the payment card, haptic feedback and visible feedback tothe individual carrying the payment card, wherein the visible feedbackcomprises illuminating one of a plurality of lights positioned proximateat least one peripheral edge of the payment card, the one of a pluralityof lights being associated with the one of a plurality of accounts.

In accordance with other aspects, a system includes a payment cardincluding a haptic feedback mechanism, a plurality of lights proximate aperipheral edge of the payment card, each of the lights being associatedwith one of a plurality of accounts to which the payment card is linkedand having a color or location on the card different than the color orlocation of each of the remaining lights on the card, and a sensor todetect movement of the payment card with respect to an individualcarrying the payment card in a carrying device; and a smartphoneconfigured to communicate with the payment card, the smartphoneincluding a GPS and a database of purchasing transactions in which theplurality of accounts linked to the payment card have been used inretail establishments, wherein the smartphone is configured to detectwhen the payment card is in a retail establishment in which one of theplurality of accounts linked to the payment card has been used in aprior purchasing transaction and send a notification to the paymentcard, and wherein the payment card is configured to activate the hapticfeedback mechanism and illuminate one of the plurality of lights uponreceipt of the notification from the smartphone.

In accordance with further aspects, one or more non-transitory mediastoring instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,cause the one or more processors to perform steps including receive, bya payment card from a GPS of a smartphone, an indication that thepayment card is in a retail establishment; request, by the payment card,a search of a database for prior instances of any of a plurality ofaccounts linked to the payment card being used for purchasingtransactions in the retail establishment; receive, by the payment cardfrom the smartphone, an indication that one of the plurality of accountslinked to the payment card has been used in one or more purchasingtransactions in the retail establishment based on the search of thedatabase; detect, by way of a motion detecting sensor in the paymentcard, movement of the payment card with respect to an individualcarrying the payment card while the payment card is in a carrying devicecarried by the individual; activate a haptic feedback mechanism in thepayment card; and illuminate one of a plurality of lights proximate aperipheral edge of the payment card, the one of a plurality of lightsbeing associated with the one of the plurality of accounts.

By using computing devices and applications to determine when aparticular payment card is in a retail establishment, to determine thatthe particular payment card has been used in a prior purchasingtransaction in the retail establishment, and to determine that the useris attempting to retrieve a payment card for use in the retailestablishment, the payment card can provide feedback, such asilluminating a light on the card, to indicate to the user that thisparticular payment card should be used for a purchasing transaction inthe retail establishment. Thus, a user can help ensure that they aretaking advantage of available benefit and reward programs.

Corresponding apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are alsowithin the scope of the disclosure. These features, along with manyothers, are discussed in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicatesimilar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a computing device that may be used inimplementing one or more aspects of the disclosure in accordance withone or more illustrative aspects discussed herein;

FIG. 2 depicts a schematic diagram of a wallet with payment cards and asmartphone in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussedherein;

FIG. 3 depicts a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of awallet with payment cards and a smartphone in accordance with one ormore illustrative aspects discussed herein;

FIG. 4 depicts an elevation view of an alternative embodiment of apayment card in accordance with one or more illustrative aspectsdiscussed herein;

FIG. 5 depicts a plan view of another alternative embodiment of apayment card in accordance with one or more illustrative aspectsdiscussed herein; and

FIG. 6 a schematic diagram of another alternative embodiment of a walletwith payment cards, a smartphone, and a computing device in accordancewith one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein;

FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of an example method in accordance withone or more illustrative aspects discussed herein; and

FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram of an example method in accordance withone or more illustrative aspects discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of the various embodiments, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in whichaspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and structural and functionalmodifications may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. Aspects of the disclosure are capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology usedherein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting. Rather, the phrases and terms used herein are to be giventheir broadest interpretation and meaning. The use of “including” and“comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the itemslisted thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional itemsand equivalents thereof.

By way of introduction, aspects discussed herein may relate to systems,methods, techniques, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer readablemedia for providing feedback on a payment card to a user regarding prioruse of the payment card for purchasing transactions at a retailestablishment, store, merchant, or service provider.

Before discussing these concepts in greater detail, however, severalexamples of a computing device that may be used in implementing and/orotherwise providing various aspects of the disclosure will first bediscussed with respect to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a computing device 101, or serverdevice, that may be used to implement one or more illustrative aspectsdiscussed herein. For example, computing device 101 may, in someembodiments, implement one or more aspects of the disclosure by readingand/or executing instructions and performing one or more actions basedon the instructions. In some embodiments, computing device 101 mayrepresent, be incorporated in, and/or include various devices such as adesktop computer, a computer server, a mobile device (e.g., a laptopcomputer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, any other types of mobilecomputing devices, and the like), and/or any other type of dataprocessing device.

A computing device 101 may, in some embodiments, operate in a standaloneenvironment. In others, computing device 101 may operate in a networkedenvironment. As shown in FIG. 1, various network nodes or devices 105,108, 110, 200 may be interconnected via a network 103, such as theInternet. Other networks may also or alternatively be used, includingprivate intranets, corporate networks, LANs, wireless networks, personalnetworks (PAN), and the like. Network 103 is for illustration purposesand may be replaced with fewer or additional computer networks. A localarea network (LAN) may have one or more of any known LAN topology andmay use one or more of a variety of different protocols, such asEthernet. Devices 105, 108, 110, 200 and other devices (not shown) maybe connected to one or more of the networks via twisted pair wires,coaxial cable, fiber optics, radio waves or other communication media.

As seen in FIG. 1, computing device 101 may include a processor 111, RAM113, ROM 115, network interface 117, input/output interfaces 119 (e.g.,keyboard, mouse, display, printer, etc.), and memory 121. Processor 111may include one or more computer processing units (CPUs), graphicalprocessing units (GPUs), and/or other processing units such as aprocessor adapted to perform computations required by one or moreapplications stored on the computing device 101. I/O 119 may include avariety of interface units and drives for reading, writing, displaying,and/or printing data or files. I/O 119 may be coupled with a displaysuch as display 120. Memory 121 may store software for configuringcomputing device 101 into a special purpose computing device in order toperform one or more of the various functions discussed herein. Memory121 may store operating system software 123 for controlling overalloperation of computing device 101, control logic 125 for instructingcomputing device 101 to perform aspects discussed herein, and a purchasehistory database 127. Furthermore, memory 121 may store various otherdatabases and applications depending on the particular use. Controllogic 125 may be incorporated in and/or may comprise a linking enginethat updates, receives, and/or associates various information stored inthe memory 121. In other embodiments, computing device 101 may includetwo or more of any and/or all of these components (e.g., two or moreprocessors, two or more memories, etc.) and/or other components and/orsubsystems not illustrated here.

Devices 105, 108, 110, 200 may have similar or different architecture asdescribed with respect to computing device 101. Those of skill in theart will appreciate that the functionality of computing device 101 (ordevice 105, 108, 110, 200) as described herein may be spread acrossmultiple data processing devices, for example, to distribute processingload across multiple computers, to segregate transactions based ongeographic location, user access level, quality of service (QoS), etc.For example, devices 105, 108, 110, 200 and others may operate inconcert to provide parallel computing features in support of theoperation of control logic 125 and/or purchase history database 127.

One or more aspects discussed herein may be embodied in computer-usableor readable data and/or computer-executable instructions, such as in oneor more program modules, executed by one or more computers or otherdevices as described herein. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data typeswhen executed by a processor in a computer or other device. The modulesmay be written in a source code programming language that issubsequently compiled for execution, or may be written in a scriptinglanguage such as (but not limited to) HTML or XML. The computerexecutable instructions may be stored on a computer readable medium suchas a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage media, solid statememory, RAM, etc. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, thefunctionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed asdesired in various embodiments. In addition, the functionality may beembodied in whole or in part in firmware or hardware equivalents such asintegrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and thelike. Particular data structures may be used to more effectivelyimplement one or more aspects discussed herein, and such data structuresare contemplated within the scope of computer executable instructionsand computer-usable data described herein. Various aspects discussedherein may be embodied as a method, a computing device, a dataprocessing system, or a computer program product.

Having discussed several examples of computing devices which may be usedto implement some aspects as discussed further below, discussion willnow turn to an illustrative environment and network to determine when apayment card is in a retail establishment and providing feedback on thepayment card to indicate to a user that the payment card has been usedfor a prior purchasing transaction in the retail establishment.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a user may carry a plurality of payment cards200A-F in a carrying device such as a wallet 205. It is to beappreciated that in certain embodiments payment cards 200A-F may becarried in a purse, or any other suitable carrying device. Payment cards200A-F could be credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, and/or moneyaccess cards (“MAC”). It is to be appreciated that payment cards 200A-Fmay include a magnetic strip and/or an EMV chip (not shown).

Wallet 205 may include a plurality of slots 210, with each slot 210holding one of the payment cards 200A-F. One or more of the paymentcards 200A-F may include a real-time position tracking system such as areal-time locating system or a GPS device 215 that may be used to detecta location of the payment card 200A-F. For example, GPS device 215 maybe used to detect when a payment card 200A-F is at a retailestablishment 220, or a store, merchant, or service provider. It is tobe appreciated that in certain embodiments, only some of payment cards200A-F in wallet 205 may include a GPS device 215.

In certain embodiments, a payment card 200A-F may be in communicationwith a mobile computing device, such as a smartphone 105, for example,that includes a GPS device. In such an embodiment, the location ofpayment card 200A-F can be detected through the GPS device of smartphone105 and such information can then be communicated to payment card200A-F.

Payment card 200A-F may also determine if it has been used in one ormore prior purchasing transactions in retail establishment 220 byaccessing and searching a purchase history database 127. In certainembodiments, a purchase history database 127 may be maintained onpayment card 200A-F itself. In other embodiments, a purchase historydatabase 127 may be maintained on smartphone 105, and smartphone 105 maycommunicate this information to payment card 200A-F. In furtherembodiments purchase history database 127 may be maintained on serverdevice 101, which information may then be communicated directly fromserver device 101 to payment card 200A-F, or from server device 101 tosmartphone 105 and then on to payment card 200A-F. In other embodiments,a purchase history database 127 may be maintained on a computing device110 located in retail establishment 220, which information may then becommunicated directly from computing device 110 to payment card 200A-F,or from computing device 110 to smartphone 105 and then on to paymentcard 200A-F.

Since that particular payment card 200A-F had been used in the retailestablishment 220 in the past, the user may want to use that samepayment card 200A-F for a new purchasing transaction in retailestablishment 220. For example, the user may receive benefits or rewardsfor using that particular payment card 200A-F in retail establishment220, and the user would want to be reminded to use the correct paymentcard 200A-F to take advantage of the benefits or rewards.

Upon detection that a particular payment card 200A-F is in retailestablishment 220 and that the particular payment card 200A-F has beenused in a prior purchasing transaction in retail establishment 220,payment card 200A-F may be configured to provide feedback to the userthat this particular payment card 200A-F should be the payment card theyshould use for a purchasing transaction.

One or more of payment cards 200A-F in wallet 205 may include a detector222 that senses movement with respect to the individual carrying thepayment card 200A-F. For example, detector 222 may be a light sensorthat is activated when the user opens wallet 205, as indicated by arrowsA. When wallet 205 is opened, detector 222 is exposed to ambient light,thereby indicating that the user is attempting to select a payment card200A-F from wallet 205 for a purchase in retail establishment 220.Suitable light sensors for payment cards 200A-F will become readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of thisdisclosure.

In other embodiments, detector 222 may be an accelerometer that detectsmotion of payment card 200A-F with respect to the user carrying paymentscards 200A-F. Thus, when wallet 205 is being removed from a user'spocket, or purse, or when wallet 205 is being opened as depicted byarrows A, the accelerometer will detect this movement and can thenactivate the feedback device of payment card 200A-F. Since the motion ofwallet 205 may provide an indication that the user is trying to accessone of the payment cards 200 A-F for a purchasing transaction in retailestablishment 220, the user would want feedback on payment card 200A-Fto indicate which card should be used.

In other embodiments, detector 222 may be a gyroscope that detectsmotion of payment card 200A-F with respect to the user carrying paymentscards 200A-F. Thus, when wallet 205 is being removed from a user'spocket, or purse, or when wallet 205 is being opened as depicted byarrows A, the gyroscope will detect this movement and can then activatethe feedback device of payment card 200A-F. Since the motion of wallet205 may provide an indication that the user is trying to access one ofthe payment cards 200 A-F for a purchasing transaction in retailestablishment 220, the user would want feedback on payment card 200A-Fto indicate which card should be used. Other suitable detectors fordetecting motion of a payment card 200A-F with respect to the usercarrying payments cards 200A-F will become readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

Payment card 200A-F may also include one or more feedback devices suchas lights 225 that can be activated when detector 222 senses movement ofpayment card 200A-F with respect to the user. The illumination of lights225 may provide an indication to the user that this particular paymentcard 200A-F should be used for the purchasing transaction in retailestablishment 220.

It is to be appreciated that payment card 200A-F may include one or morelights 225, and that lights 225 may be positioned proximate a peripheraledge 230 of payment card 200A-F so that lights 225 are visible to theuser even when payment card 200A-F is seated in a slot 210 of wallet205. In the illustrated embodiment, payment cards 200A, B, D and F areshown with three lights 225 seated along longitudinal peripheral edges230 of the cards. It is to be appreciated that fewer or more than threelights 225 may be positioned on payment cards 200A, B, D and F, and thatlights 225 can be positioned at any desired location on payment cards200A, B, D and F.

Thus, when the user opens wallet 205 in which a payment card 200A-F isseated, and payment card 200A-F is located in retail establishment 220and has been used for a prior purchasing transaction in retailestablishment 220, a feedback device is triggered, such as one or morelights 225 that provide feedback to the user that this particular card200A-F should be used for a new purchasing transaction in retailestablishment 220. The illumination of lights 225 provides a quick andeasy way for the user to determine which particular payment card 200A-Fthey should use for a purchasing transaction in retail establishment220. With the system and payment cards 200A-F providing feedback to theuser to indicate the proper payment card 200A-F to use, the user doesnot have to remember or determine via other means which payment card200A-F should be used for their purchasing transaction.

In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a payment card 200D mayprovide haptic feedback to the user rather than illuminating lights 225.For example, when detector 222 of payment card 200D detects movement ofpayment card 200D with respect to the user, the payment card 200D mayvibrate, as indicated by arrows B. The vibration of payment card 200Dprovides an indication to the user that payment card 200D should be usedfor a purchasing transaction in retail establishment 220. The use ofhaptic feedback, such as the vibration of payment card 200D may beparticularly useful for users that are visually impaired.

It is to be appreciated that in certain embodiments a payment card200A-F may provide negative feedback to the user if that particularpayment card 200A-F is not the appropriate card to be used for thepurchasing transaction. For example, payment card 200A may be the cardthat should be used for a particular purchasing transaction, but theuser may inadvertently start to pull payment card 200D from wallet 205.In such an embodiment, payment card 200D may be configured to providenegative feedback to the user, indicating that payment card 200D is notthe correct card. For example, payment card 200D may illuminate lights225 in a manner that indicates to the user that payment card 200D is notthe proper payment card. In such an embodiment, lights 225 on paymentcard 200A, the proper payment card for this purchasing transaction, maybe illuminated in green, indicating to the user that this is the properpayment card. When the user starts to pull payment card 200D, theimproper payment card in this purchasing transaction, from wallet 205,lights 225 on payment card 200D may be illuminated in red, indicating tothe user that this is not the proper payment card.

It is to be appreciated that in other embodiments, the negative feedbackto the user may be provided in the form of haptic feedback. For example,payment card 200A, the proper payment card in this purchasingtransaction, may vibrate at a first frequency. Payment card 200D, theimproper payment card in this purchasing transaction, may vibrate at asecond frequency that is different than the first frequency (e.g., amuch higher frequency), thereby providing tactile feedback to the userthat they are attempting to use the wrong payment card when they startto pull payment card 200D from wallet 205.

It is to be appreciated that the provision of negative feedback mayinclude communication between the different payment cards 200A-F, eitherdirectly or through another device, such as server device 101 orsmartphone 105.

Another exemplary haptic feedback mechanism is illustrated in FIG. 4, inwhich a payment card 200G may include a plurality of movable elements250 that are seated in recesses 255 in payment card 200G. Movableelements 250 may be configured to move upwardly away from an exteriorsurface 260 of payment card 200G after motion of payment card 200G hasbeen detected. In certain embodiments, the plurality of movable elements250 could comprise Braille characters that would help a visuallyimpaired user to determine that this particular payment card 200G is thecard to be removed from the user's wallet 205.

In certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a payment card 200Hmay be linked to a plurality of accounts. For example, payment card 200Hcould be linked to multiple credit card accounts as well as other typesof accounts, such as a debit account, or a Paypal account. In such anembodiment, when GPS device 215 detects that payment card 200H is inretail establishment 220, and detector 222 detects movement of paymentcard 200H, and payment card 200H obtains confirmation that one of theaccounts on payment card 200H has previously been used in a purchasingtransaction in retail establishment 220, payment card 200H may providefeedback to the user indicating which particular account had been usedin the purchasing transaction.

In such an embodiment, each of the different accounts on payment card200H could be linked to smartphone 105 or computing device 110 in themanner described above with respect to the individual payment cards200A-F.

In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5, payment card 200Hcould be linked to three different accounts, and could have threedifferent lights 225A-C, each of which would illuminate if the accountassociated with that light 225A-C was the account that had been used inthe prior transaction. Although the embodiment of FIG. 5 depicts paymentcard 200H with three accounts, it is to be appreciated that payment card200H may have any number of different accounts.

In certain embodiments, the location of the individual lights 225A-C onpayment card 200H would provide the required notification to the userregarding which account on payment card 200H was used in the priorpurchasing transaction, and should be used for the current purchasingtransaction. In other embodiments, a different notification could beprovided to the user with lights 225A-C. For example, each of lights225A-C could be illuminated with a different color, which would provideadditional user feedback other than just the location of the particularlight 225A-C. In other embodiments, lights 225A-C could flash atdifferent intervals to help the user distinguish between the particularaccounts. For example, light 225A might be illuminated in a steady,non-flashing manner, light 225B might be illuminated in a steady,flashing manner, and light 225C might be illuminated in a non-steadyflashing manner, such as alternating between two flashes and anon-illuminated period.

In other embodiments, rather than different individual lights 225A-C,the different accounts on payment card 200H could illuminate a singlelight with different colors to provide the indicator to the user whichaccount had been used in the prior purchasing transaction in retailestablishment 220. It is to be appreciated that lights on payment card200H can be configured in any manner that would provide notice to theuser which particular account had been used with payment card 200H for aprior purchasing transaction in retail establishment 220.

It is to be appreciated that payment card 200H could provide the userwith a distinctive indicator regarding which particular account onpayment card 200H had previously been used in retail establishment 220by way of haptic feedback, rather than lights 225A-C. For example,payment card 200H could vibrate with a pulse of a different duration, orvibrate with a pulse of a different strength, or vibrate with a pulse ofa different frequency for the different accounts.

In certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 6, payments cards 200A-Fmay detect that they are in retail establishment 220 through acommunication with a point of sale (“POS”) device 108 or computingdevice 110, each of which may be located in retail establishment 220. Itis to be appreciated that the communication between payment cards 200A-Fand POS device 108 and between payment cards 20A-F and computing device110, or any other device within retail establishment 220, could be viaWiFi, Bluetooth, or other communication methods. In certain embodiments,payment cards 200A-F could communicate directly with POS device 108and/or computing device 110. In other embodiments, payment cards 200A-Fand POS device 108 or computing device 110 could communicate with oneanother through smartphone 105.

A method 700 of determining whether a payment card has been used in aretail establishment and providing feedback to the user on the card isshown in FIG. 7. At step 710 of FIG. 7, a payment card 200A-F carried bya user in their wallet 205 detects that it is in a retail establishment220. In certain embodiments, payment card 200A-F may utilize a GPSdevice 215 on payment card 200A-F to determine when it is in retailestablishment 220. In other embodiments, payment card 200A-F maycommunicate with a smartphone 105 and use a GPS device on smartphone 105to detect that the payment card is in retail establishment 220.

At step 720, payment card 200A-F determines whether payment card 200A-Fhas been used in one or more prior purchasing transactions in retailestablishment 220. Payment card 200A-F may access a purchase historydatabase that includes prior purchasing transactions. In certainembodiments, a purchase history database may be maintained on paymentcard 200A-F itself. In other embodiments, a purchase history databasemay be maintained on smartphone 105, and smartphone 105 may communicatethis information to payment card 200A-F. In further embodiments purchasehistory database 127 may be maintained on server device 101, whichinformation may then be communicated directly from server device 101 topayment card 200A-F, or from server device 101 to smartphone 105 andthen on to payment card 200A-F. In other embodiments, a purchase historydatabase may be maintained on a computing device 110 located in retailestablishment 220, which information may then be communicated directlyfrom computing device 110 to payment card 200A-F, or from computingdevice 110 to smartphone 105 and then on to payment card 200A-F.

If it is determined at step 720 that payment card 200A-F has not beenused in retail establishment 220, the system returns to step 710. If itis determined at step 720 that payment card 200A-F has been used inretail establishment, payment card 200A-F then detects at step 730 whenpayment card 200A-F has moved with respect to the individual carryingpayment card 200A-F. Payment card 200A-F may use detector 222 to sensemovement of payment card 200A-F with respect to the individual carryingthe payment card 200A-F. In certain embodiments detector 222 may be alight sensor that is activated when the user opens their wallet 205. Inother embodiments, detector 222 may be an accelerometer that detectsmotion of payment card 200A-F with respect to the user carrying paymentscards 200A-F. In further embodiments, detector 222 may be a gyroscopethat detects motion of payment card 200A-F with respect to the usercarrying payments cards 200A-F.

At step 740, the payment card 200A-F that has previously been used in apurchasing transaction in retail establishment 220 illuminates at leastone light 225A-C along a peripheral edge 230 of payment card 200A-F,providing notification to the user that this particular payment card200A-F should be used for the intended purchasing transaction.

An alternative method 800 of determining whether a payment card has beenused in a retail establishment 220 and providing feedback to the user onthe card is shown in FIG. 8. At step 810 of FIG. 8, a payment card200A-F carried by a user in their wallet 205 detects that it is in aretail establishment 220. In certain embodiments, payment card 200A-Fmay utilize a GPS device 215 on payment card 200A-F to determine when itis in retail establishment 220. In other embodiments, payment card200A-F may communicate with a smartphone 105 and use a GPS device onsmartphone 105 to detect that the payment card is in retailestablishment 220.

At step 820, payment card 200A-F determines whether it has been used inone or more prior purchasing transactions in retail establishment 220.Payment card 200A-F may access a purchase history database that includesprior purchasing transactions. In certain embodiments, a purchasehistory database may be maintained on payment card 200A-F itself. Inother embodiments, a purchase history database may be maintained onsmartphone 105, and smartphone 105 may communicate this information topayment card 200A-F. In further embodiments purchase history database127 may be maintained on server device 101, which information may thenbe communicated directly from server device 101 to payment card 200A-F,or from server device 101 to smartphone 105 and then on to payment card200A-F. In other embodiments, a purchase history database may bemaintained on a computing device 110 located in retail establishment220, which information may then be communicated directly from computingdevice 110 to payment card 200A-F, or from computing device 110 tosmartphone 105 and then on to payment card 200A-F.

If it is determined at step 820 that payment card 200A-F has not beenused in retail establishment 220, the system returns to step 810. If itis determined at step 820 that payment card 200A-F has been used inretail establishment, payment card 200A-F then detects at step 830 whenpayment card 200A-F has moved with respect to the individual carryingpayment card 200A-F. Payment card 200A-F may use detector 222 to sensemovement of payment card 200A-F with respect to the individual carryingthe payment card 200A-F. In certain embodiments detector 222 may be alight sensor that is activated when the user opens their wallet 205. Inother embodiments, detector 222 may be an accelerometer that detectsmotion of payment card 200A-F with respect to the user carrying paymentscards 200A-F. In further embodiments, detector 222 may be a gyroscopethat detects motion of payment card 200A-F with respect to the usercarrying payments cards 200A-F.

At step 840, the payment card 200A-F that has previously been used in apurchasing transaction in retail establishment 220 provides hapticfeedback on payment card 200A-F, providing notification to the user thatthis particular payment card 200A-F should be used for the intendedpurchasing transaction. In certain embodiments, the haptic feedback onpayment card 200A-F may be a vibration of payment card 200A-F. In otherembodiments, the haptic feedback may include the movement of movableelements 250 with respect to a surface 260 of payment card 200A-F. It isto be appreciated that the use of haptic feedback to providenotification to a user may be particularly useful for user's that arevisually impaired.

By having payment cards that provide a user with feedback indicatingthat a particular card should be used for a purchasing transaction in aretail establishment, a user can avoid having to keep track of the priorusage of their payment cards and/or determining which is the bestpayment card to use for a particular purchasing transaction.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:detecting when a payment card is in a retail establishment byestablishing communication between the payment card and a real-timeposition tracking system in a mobile computing device carried by anindividual carrying the payment card; determining whether one of aplurality of accounts linked to the payment card has been used in one ormore prior purchasing transactions in the retail establishment bysearching a database of prior purchasing transactions, the databaseresiding on the payment card; detecting, by a motion detecting sensorembedded in the payment card, movement of the payment card with respectto the individual carrying the payment card while the payment card is ina carrying device carried by the individual; and providing, by thepayment card, haptic feedback and visible feedback to the individualcarrying the payment card, wherein the visible feedback comprisesilluminating one of a plurality of lights positioned proximate at leastone peripheral edge of the payment card, the one of a plurality oflights being associated with the one of a plurality of accounts.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the real-time position tracking system is aGPS.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting when thepayment card is in a retail establishment includes the payment cardcommunicating with a POS system in the retail establishment.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting when the payment cardis in a retail establishment includes the payment card communicating viaWiFi with the retail establishment.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe real-time position tracking system is a GPS and the step ofdetecting when the payment card is in a retail establishment includesthe payment card communicating with a POS system in the retailestablishment via WiFi.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the individualcarrying the payment card carries an additional payment card, andfurther comprising the step of providing, by the additional paymentcard, negative feedback when a motion detecting sensor embedded in theadditional payment card detects movement of the additional payment cardwith respect to the individual carrying the additional payment cardwhile the additional payment card is in the carrying device carried bythe individual, the negative feedback indicating that the additionalpayment card has not been used in one or more prior purchasingtransactions in the retail establishment.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the negative feedback comprises haptic feedback and visiblefeedback, the visible feedback including illuminating one of a pluralityof lights positioned proximate at least one peripheral edge of theadditional payment card.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the motiondetecting element is one of an accelerometer, a light sensor, agyroscope, and a magnetometer.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of determining whether the payment card has been used in one ormore purchasing transactions in the retail establishment includescommunicating with the database on the payment card via the mobilecomputing device.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of theplurality of lights has a color different than a color of each of theother lights of the plurality of lights.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein the haptic feedback comprises a vibration of the payment card.12. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic feedback comprisesmovement of a movable element upwardly away from an exterior surface ofthe payment card.
 13. A system comprising: a payment card including ahaptic feedback mechanism, a plurality of lights proximate a peripheraledge of the payment card, each of the lights being associated with oneof a plurality of accounts to which the payment card is linked andhaving a color or location on the payment card different than the coloror location of each of the remaining lights on the payment card, asensor to detect movement of the payment card with respect to anindividual carrying the payment card in a carrying device, and adatabase of purchasing transactions in which the plurality of accountslinked to the payment card have been used in retail establishments; anda mobile computing device configured to communicate with the paymentcard, the mobile computing device including a GPS and, wherein themobile computing device is configured to detect when the payment card isin a retail establishment in which one of the plurality of accountslinked to the payment card has been used in a prior purchasingtransaction and send a notification to the payment card, and wherein thepayment card is configured to activate the haptic feedback mechanism andilluminate one of the plurality of lights upon receipt of thenotification from the mobile computing device.
 14. The system of claim13, wherein the sensor is one of an accelerometer, a light sensor, and agyroscope in the payment card.
 15. The system of claim 13, furthercomprising an additional payment card configured to provide negativefeedback when a sensor embedded in the additional payment card detectsmovement of the additional payment card with respect to the individualcarrying the additional payment card while the additional payment cardis in the carrying device carried by the individual, the negativefeedback indicating that no account linked to the additional paymentcard has been used in one or more prior purchasing transactions in theretail establishment.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the negativefeedback comprises haptic feedback and visible feedback includingilluminating one of a plurality of lights positioned proximate at leastone peripheral edge of the additional payment card.
 17. One or morenon-transitory media storing instructions that, when executed by one ormore processors, cause the one or more processors to perform stepscomprising: receive, by a payment card from a GPS of a mobile computingdevice, an indication that the payment card is in a retailestablishment; search a database on the payment card for prior instancesof any of a plurality of accounts linked to the payment card being usedfor purchasing transactions in the retail establishment; receive, by thepayment card, an indication that one of the plurality of accounts linkedto the payment card has been used in one or more purchasing transactionsin the retail establishment based on the search of the database; detect,by way of a motion detecting sensor in the payment card, movement of thepayment card with respect to an individual carrying the payment cardwhile the payment card is in a carrying device carried by theindividual; activate a haptic feedback mechanism in the payment card;and illuminate one of a plurality of lights proximate a peripheral edgeof the payment card, the one of a plurality of lights being associatedwith the one of the plurality of accounts.
 18. The one or morenon-transitory media of claim 17, wherein the motion detecting sensor isone of an accelerometer and a light sensor in the payment card.
 19. Theone or more non-transitory media of claim 17, wherein haptic feedbackfrom the haptic feedback mechanism comprises a vibration of the paymentcard.
 20. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 17, wherein eachof the plurality of lights has a color different than a color of each ofthe other lights of the plurality of lights.